City Benefits from TPD Participation with Interagency Narcotics TeamTigard Police Detective Chris Haynes recalls the suspected “meth,” or methamphetamine, house in a Tigard neighborhood “was gross, unkempt and nasty inside.”

Neighbors complained of inoperable vehicles, occupants living in a ramshackle shed and camper, trash and other problems causing neighborhood blight. They also reported suspicious comings and goings of visitors to the home and worried about their children waiting at a bus stop where associates were allegedly dealing drugs.

Haynes, who is assigned to the Washington County Westside Interagency Narcotics (WIN) team, had been alerted to the problem house after receiving complaints and tips from informants.

The WIN team typically follows up on large-scale drug operations in the county where successful investigations can significantly disrupt the local drug trade. Many of their cases involve meth and heroin sales. In Haynes’ experience, users of these drugs will often commit “peripheral crimes”—car prowls, burglaries and theft—to fund their next drug fix.

WIN team members know how to efficiently collect evidence and apply for a search warrant to gain access to a property, and they have the staffing necessary to safely search the premises.

While Tigard’s Police Department lacks dedicated staff for these targeted efforts, with one TPD detective assigned to the team, the city can tap into the WIN's impressive resources, a network of agencies and expertise to address problems in our neighborhoods. What may take TPD patrol officers days to accomplish, WIN can do in hours. Quick turnaround times generally result in better outcomes.

At the meth house in Tigard, WIN was able to legally search the home, with support from the county’s Tactical Negotiations Team and K-9 unit. They discovered meth and stolen guns and arrested the suspects. Since the search and arrests, the former occupants have moved on, restoring order to the neighborhood.

Interagency crime work with WIN helps the Tigard Police Department accomplish more and plays a critical role leveraging resources to address problems in Tigard not addressed by the uniformed patrol division.